XPS 17 9700, left bottom corner of touchpad not working

@WMERC :

Thank you for your message. Very good !!! Thank you

So basically what DELL is saying is, that in order to make to button work correct, you need to place a finger on the touchpad before and then press the area in the 1x1 cm area in left or right corner:

Touchpad Dell XPS

(Dell :  )

For full control you end up having to do this:
(a) one finger on the touchpad to make the button work
(b) one finger which holds or presses the button in the 1x1 cm area
(c) one finger to make moves the mouse arroy (this finger can be removed and moved back to the touchpad)

In case you use the 3 finger trick (a)+(b)+(c) it works fine in my case.

If you only use only the 2 fingers method (a)+(b) , you cannot remove and move the second finger back on the touchpad to continue highlighting or selecting for example.

Anyone having different experience?

This is definately a stupid way to implement the touchpad function and leaves a bad taste to the XPS series.

Since the support accepted to replace laptops showing this trackpad issue - they definately didn't have a clue themeselves that it was not working as we are all used to - or better - that it does not work as it REALLY should.

This smells indeed like a design flaw and should be changed in the driver as soon as possible.

This story remindes me on the Apple one where the they told the users that they hold the phones the wrong way instead of telling the truth about the "cheaper" antenna design (no antenna diversity)

If you are having this issue, then try to get it replaced at least once.  Maybe there are good trackpads out there and I lost the "quality lottery" twice?  I'd like to hear a story where replacing the trackpad actually worked so I might request another try!

By the way, here is that service bulletin where they say it is engineered this way (great job Apple...er, Dell).

Exactly same issue on my XPS 17 and I also can not move files across the screen because I do not want to lose them in wrong folders ( what happened several times).

the XPS 17 is a really great laptop which I more and more start to hate because that trackpad drives me crazy!

this is my first time at Dell and I really start to regret it.

Just an update, I had the trackpad replaced by service call.  Took a while for the part to come in and the service guy was great.  However, there was no real way to evaluate if it was fixed right there as the problem is intermittent.  

Well, you guessed it, still there with the intermittent click/drag lose hold and drop issue.  So unless I lost the quality trackpad lottery twice, it seems to be flawed HW design.  So unless Dell silently fixes the design issue (which there will be no recall announcement because of $$$) it is there.  I have no confidence in dragging files or emails across Outlook or File Explorer for fear of dropping it into a folder I didn't intend.  So instead I use a mouse mostly, and trackpad only for "easy" manipulations.

Weird that more folks aren't complaining...so maybe I'm just unlucky?

I have the same issue. Dell XPS 17 9700 Touchscreen (All updates, firmware and drivers up to date). A Dell engineer has been out today and replaced the keyboard and trackpad (whole unit part). I still have the same issue with the new part fitted. Having another call with Dell Support this afternoon at 3pm to discuss this issue. The engineer agreed that this may be a design fault as there are 4 pages on this thread that are reporting the same issue. Replacing the part does NOT solve this issue.

HELLO DELL!!!

Could you please CARE about the issue and your (still...?) customers and inform us about when the issue will be solved?

The instruction on how to use the touchpad THE DELL WAY does not work reliably either!

My own sob story: got my original XPS 17 about 2 months ago, and it exhibited this problem, where hard clicks worked only about 75% of the time. It also exhibited a video problem, so I contacted Dell and arranged for a replacement to be shipped out. (Surprisingly, it was pretty hassle-free.)

It did take a while, as the replacement just arrived yesterday. Unfortunately, it has the same problem. In fact, it might be slightly worse. Most of my hard clicks have to be repeated, sometimes more than once. Ugh!

Meanwhile, the original laptop's touchpad button has now degraded, where it makes a grating, grinding noise when I press the button.

Unless there's a miracle cure both units will be going back to Dell. I don't have time to deal with this. It's a shame since I mostly like the laptop, especially the 17" display.

I was asked by Dell support in a private message to provide a video of the issue and--I can't. For some reason, it's not happening anymore, at least not to the extent it was before. I can't account for the change.

I figured I'd post here to see if anyone else has seen the same?

So, I received my laptop on 11/25. XPS 17 i9 with 4k touch monitor and the rtx. The left touchpad button does not register about 1/3 of the time. If you click to the far bottom left, it does not work at all. The laptop is basically not functional. $3k for a machine that is broken out of the box and required an external mouse is just not acceptable, and regretable because I do like the laptop otherwise.

I called support and they told me they identified the issue and newer machines manufactured after sept would not have this problem... but I ordered mine in early November? So I guess Dell took a shot at selling me one of the broken machines, when they knew I would need a newer one to have a functional mouse?? lol. Why does dell always do this? I work at an AR/VR company which requires top notch windows computers and nearly 1/2 the machines we get have some kind of issue. My m15 for example has several defects ranging from poor assembly to fan noise.

I am going to return this machine, I think it best to wait for the ryzen rtx 3080 laptops to arrive in Q1 2021 anyways. I probably will not purchase a dell. Waited a month for this machine to arrive, so disappointing.

I bought an XPS 17 yesterday, same problem. But according to a Dell article it's not a problem, the corners are designed to be that way to prevent false clicks. What about real clicks?

It's not a hardware issue because the touchpad works 100% of the time if you have another finger touching the touchpad when you press down, as others said. So obviously the sensors underneath are fine.

I called support who said it's not a known issue but offered to send out a tech to swap the pad, but that seems pointless from what I've read. I updated all drivers and the BIOS but no cigar. 

I'm thinking I'll return it but it's pretty annoying after all the configuration I've done. It's very nice otherwise, my only wish is a number pad on the right of the keyboard like my Dell Precision. And a properly functioning touchpad of course

My guess it is a hardware issue.  Previously, Dell had an issue with some of the trackpads being loose, so I think they added some sort of shim.  In doing so, the pads no longer are loose, however, there might be micro-stutters in the contacts that cause losing hold during a "drag-drop".  I could be wrong, however, if it were a driver/firmware correction I would venture it would be fixed by now (which it isn't after a replacement of the trackpad).

I've never had any issues with the trackpad on the Surface Book nor Surface Book 2, so figure the precision drivers do work.  I guess making a large trackpad correctly is hard and something Dell hasn't worked out. 

In the end, I mostly use a mouse, so will live with it I guess.  Maybe in a year or two, I'll pass this laptop along and find one that is "perfect"...too bad I don't like Apple iOS.

What stinks is I've been holding out for a couple of months for a driver update but I think you're right, if it were a simple driver fix we would have seen it already.   So now i'm stuck with this LEMON of a laptop.  I can't return it because it's past the 30 day return window.  If i want to sell it I have to sell it knowing full well it has a defective trackpad, I find it hard to believe the buyer would not know if I did not disclose anything about the trackpad.  It is painfully obvious, drag and drop operations are the worst.  It's an infuriating experience to the point where i'm forced to use a mouse nearly all the time which is not always possible.   If anyone at Dell is reading this and thinks I can still return this laptop due to this issue please DM me.  

Besides the trackpad (and the really webcam...but at least that was known not to be great), is a good laptop.  Fortunately, I bought it during "tax free" weekend and had a discount applied so I guess I didn't pay full retail, even so it was over $2K and is a big hit to just sell-off or gift to a loved one and get a new laptop.  I wanted the Acer ConceptD 7 Pro, but they weren't out when I needed to pull the trigger (and leery about the first generation anyways).  I originally wanted a Surface Book 3, but the middling upgrade from the older SB2 (which I had and was gifting) caused me to look elsewhere...and the lack of upgradability.  The SB2 otherwise was a wonderful machine.

So I figure to live with it and wait for either some outcry that forces Dell to fix the hardware <Legalistic not allowed. DELL-Admin> or wait a couple of months and do a trackpad swap before the warranty runs out to see if they silently fixed the issue.

Time will tell.